Pardon Me?

Every year the President presides over the pardoning of the two turkeys who show up at the White House (no I'm not talking about Kerry & Edwards). The turkeys are then shipped off to a local petting zoo to spend the rest of their days being manhandled by small children.

Just once, maybe in 2008 as he's getting ready to leave office, I'd love to hear the President say:

"Every year we send these birds off to the zoo, but this year, we're eatin' 'em!"

The White House chef could then do his best Emeril Lagasse impression and BAM!, two turkeys ready to go to the oven. I bet that would make the evening news.

The President does seem to take the whole enterprise in stride. Here are some his remarks from this year's turkey pardon (hat tip OpinionJournal.com):

"It came down to a few battleground states. (Laughter.) It was a tough contest, and it turned out some 527 organizations got involved -- (laughter) -- including Barnyard Animals for Truth. (Laughter.) There was a scurrilous film that came out, "Fahrenheit 375 Degrees at 10 Minutes Per Pound." (Laughter.) Now, it's a time for healing."

In other turkey news, remember the President's famous secret flight to Baghdad last year for a Thanksgiving dinner with the troops? That trip has been memorialized in an "action figure" that you can buy here.